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Adrift in the Cemetery
ADRIFT IN THE CEMETERY - A story about surviving among the dead.
Davie Perdue was a cop. Now he is homeless, by choice, living in limbo in one of the largest cemeteries in Europe. He’s not a missing person, because nobody is looking for him in the London that he’s left or in his Scottish home town where he’s hiding.
When someone goes into the cemetery alive and comes out dead, Davie becomes a person of interest.
The cemetery used to be a place where families got lost looking for grandad’s grave. Now it’s a quiet place for drug deals and murders.
Davie was a cop for long enough to know what’s right and what’s wrong. But Davie and the real cops are not the only people patrolling, trying to prevent crime.
When life and death in the cemetery get confused, Davie Perdue is forced to decide whether to step back into the light or keep his life on hold.
Davie Perdue was a cop. Now he is homeless, by choice, living in limbo in one of the largest cemeteries in Europe. He’s not a missing person, because nobody is looking for him in the London that he’s left or in his Scottish home town where he’s hiding.
When someone goes into the cemetery alive and comes out dead, Davie becomes a person of interest.
The cemetery used to be a place where families got lost looking for grandad’s grave. Now it’s a quiet place for drug deals and murders.
Davie was a cop for long enough to know what’s right and what’s wrong. But Davie and the real cops are not the only people patrolling, trying to prevent crime.
When life and death in the cemetery get confused, Davie Perdue is forced to decide whether to step back into the light or keep his life on hold.
301 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 2, 2024
4 people are currently reading
1182 people want to read
About the author
Martin Campbell
4 books27 followersDr Martin Campbell was born in Greenock Scotland. He is the author of four novels:
(2016) Bad Beat Hotel - A story about poker and plumbing. https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=bad+beat...
(2020) Sailor’s Heart - A story of cowardice and heroism in the Arctic Convoys. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sailors-Hear...
(2024) Adrift in the Cemetery - A story about surviving among the dead. (https://www.amazon.com/Adrift-Cemeter...
His latest book, The Insanity Inspectors, will be published on 28th November, 2025.
His professional background is in clinical psychology and teaching.
In his spare time, he enjoys playing poker and sea fishing, neither activity with many returns.
See website, where details of these award winning books can be found.
https://www.badbeathotel.com/
(2016) Bad Beat Hotel - A story about poker and plumbing. https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=bad+beat...
(2020) Sailor’s Heart - A story of cowardice and heroism in the Arctic Convoys. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sailors-Hear...
(2024) Adrift in the Cemetery - A story about surviving among the dead. (https://www.amazon.com/Adrift-Cemeter...
His latest book, The Insanity Inspectors, will be published on 28th November, 2025.
His professional background is in clinical psychology and teaching.
In his spare time, he enjoys playing poker and sea fishing, neither activity with many returns.
See website, where details of these award winning books can be found.
https://www.badbeathotel.com/
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 9, 2024
I really enjoyed this book! I read it in 3 sittings. First of all, it's a good story that keeps us engaged from the unexpected start to the unexpected end. Secondly, it's told very well, with excellent pacing, enhanced by its non-linear narrative and by its frequent hooks that set up small mysteries and make us read on to the next chapter/section avidly. Thirdly, though, and most important, is the range of amazing characters that we meet along the way. These include standard types of people (if there are such things), beautifully observed and described; they also include more unusual characters, described with colour and sympathy. This parade of characters, that intertwine with each other and with the narrative, occasionally seemed random, but eventually they all proved to have a crucial role in the story. Not only, therefore, is this a satisfying tale with an equally satisfying conclusion, it is a window that reveals humanity expertly. This has been a feature of this author's previous novels, and he has surpassed himself here. Similarly, the narrative is peppered with many quirky facts and historical nuggets, presented wittily to punctuate the story, and adding to our entertainment.
Greenock Cemetery is the main setting for the story, which suggests a Gothic type of tale. That, however, is misleading, and the Cemetery mainly serves as a vivid backdrop as many of the events unfold or are recounted. We are also taken to Glasgow, London and elsewhere in Greenock. Although superficially seen as a murder mystery, the main story focuses on one central character, whose psychological history drives his current life, with side stories describing the lives of more minor characters. Fortunately, though, the murder mystery reaches a full conclusion, and the characters that remain are left to get on with their lives. Thanks to our understanding of them by this stage, we can imagine these lives clearly.
An excellent read!
Greenock Cemetery is the main setting for the story, which suggests a Gothic type of tale. That, however, is misleading, and the Cemetery mainly serves as a vivid backdrop as many of the events unfold or are recounted. We are also taken to Glasgow, London and elsewhere in Greenock. Although superficially seen as a murder mystery, the main story focuses on one central character, whose psychological history drives his current life, with side stories describing the lives of more minor characters. Fortunately, though, the murder mystery reaches a full conclusion, and the characters that remain are left to get on with their lives. Thanks to our understanding of them by this stage, we can imagine these lives clearly.
An excellent read!
January 25, 2025
There’s a corpse in Greenock’s historic cemetery. So what? you ask. There are lots of corpses in cemeteries. It’s what cemeteries are for. However, this one is above ground and was quite clearly murdered.
Based on that introduction to Martin Campbell’s “Adrift in the Cemetery: A Story about Surviving among the Dead,” one might anticipate a standard mystery, perhaps a police procedural where an intrepid DI unravels the enigma of who banged the “unemployed construction worker” on the head. Guess again. Yes, there’s a cop involved, sort of, but there’s nothing procedural about the tale of Davie Perdue, who left his career in law enforcement to live a homeless existence in a basement in the cemetery for reasons you’ll need to read the book to discover.
Greenock is an old city near Glasgow in Scotland, and its history and folklore are a delightful theme running through the saga of the various corpses and who’s creating them. Its cemetery is described as “the largest municipal cemetery in Europe,” and Davie occupies the cellar of its original gatehouse. Dubbed “the Goalkeeper’s House,” the gatehouse was abandoned when a new entrance was set up. It’s perfect for someone who has money in the bank that he could use to move up…Instead, he chose to live on the street and in the basement, pretending.
Maybe it was some unwitting desire to return to beginnings…that had drawn Davie back to the cemetery when he first returned to Greenock from London, dazed, with all he owned in a police duty kit bag.
When so much of the mystery genre has become deadly serious, full of serial killers and psychologically damaged protagonists, the sardonic tone of “Adrift in the Cemetery” is delightfully refreshing. Not that Davie isn’t damaged, but it’s just a factor in his decision-making, not the be-all of his existence. Even more fun are the references to Scottish history and folklore Mr. Campbell employs to lead into the events that pile up one after another seemingly at random until suddenly they aren’t random at all.
Nor is Davie the only resident of Greenock caught up in what appears to be a crime wave. The difference is Alroy, whose real name of Rhuairidh simply isn’t suitable for a prospective superhero who has chosen to keep safe the streets of his home city. After all,
If criminals could pronounce his name, they wouldn’t fear him.
Unfortunately, the job turns out to be more dangerous than he expects.
“Adrift in the Cemetery” by Martin Campbell is a story of working stiffs caught up in events they don’t want but seem helpless to escape. For the fan of mysteries that break rules and go beyond narrow genre boundaries, it’s a novel that needs to be on the TBR list. Populated by characters one might meet on any street, with the flaws, weirdness, and virtues we all share to a greater or lesser degree, it’s a story that entertains and even manages to painlessly educate as it unfolds into an ending I suspect few will anticipate.
Based on that introduction to Martin Campbell’s “Adrift in the Cemetery: A Story about Surviving among the Dead,” one might anticipate a standard mystery, perhaps a police procedural where an intrepid DI unravels the enigma of who banged the “unemployed construction worker” on the head. Guess again. Yes, there’s a cop involved, sort of, but there’s nothing procedural about the tale of Davie Perdue, who left his career in law enforcement to live a homeless existence in a basement in the cemetery for reasons you’ll need to read the book to discover.
Greenock is an old city near Glasgow in Scotland, and its history and folklore are a delightful theme running through the saga of the various corpses and who’s creating them. Its cemetery is described as “the largest municipal cemetery in Europe,” and Davie occupies the cellar of its original gatehouse. Dubbed “the Goalkeeper’s House,” the gatehouse was abandoned when a new entrance was set up. It’s perfect for someone who has money in the bank that he could use to move up…Instead, he chose to live on the street and in the basement, pretending.
Maybe it was some unwitting desire to return to beginnings…that had drawn Davie back to the cemetery when he first returned to Greenock from London, dazed, with all he owned in a police duty kit bag.
When so much of the mystery genre has become deadly serious, full of serial killers and psychologically damaged protagonists, the sardonic tone of “Adrift in the Cemetery” is delightfully refreshing. Not that Davie isn’t damaged, but it’s just a factor in his decision-making, not the be-all of his existence. Even more fun are the references to Scottish history and folklore Mr. Campbell employs to lead into the events that pile up one after another seemingly at random until suddenly they aren’t random at all.
Nor is Davie the only resident of Greenock caught up in what appears to be a crime wave. The difference is Alroy, whose real name of Rhuairidh simply isn’t suitable for a prospective superhero who has chosen to keep safe the streets of his home city. After all,
If criminals could pronounce his name, they wouldn’t fear him.
Unfortunately, the job turns out to be more dangerous than he expects.
“Adrift in the Cemetery” by Martin Campbell is a story of working stiffs caught up in events they don’t want but seem helpless to escape. For the fan of mysteries that break rules and go beyond narrow genre boundaries, it’s a novel that needs to be on the TBR list. Populated by characters one might meet on any street, with the flaws, weirdness, and virtues we all share to a greater or lesser degree, it’s a story that entertains and even manages to painlessly educate as it unfolds into an ending I suspect few will anticipate.
September 7, 2024
A book full of vivid, colourful character descriptions, intertwined with the best of West of Scotland humour and insight. A mystery with and unusual ending. Kept me smiling from start to finish. Loved it.
August 28, 2024
Great book! Definitely give this a read! You won't regret it! I've really enjoyed trying all these new authors!
January 20, 2025
Reviewed in Reader’s Views, Texas.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews